The reveal, to a packed aircraft hangar in Los Angeles, was the first time that Activision and Infinity Ward have shown Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer modes in public. For many, the multiplayer is the main reason to play Call of Duty, and Modern Warfare 3 appears to have received the biggest revamp of the mode in years.

The changes are an attempt to fine-tune the balance of the game, while rewarding different styles of play. Killstreaks have been redesigned and renamed pointstreaks. Rather than streaks being handed out just for straight kills, players can now earn additional rewards by completing other game objectives. Players can choose between three strike packages at the loadout screen, which reward pointstreaks in different ways.

The Assault package offers similar direct damage equipment to Modern Warfare 2's killstreak rewards, such as Predator drones and helicopters, with your streak resetting on death. The Support package gives you access to gadgets such as UAV's and turrets, these streaks do not reset on death. While the Specialist package is aimed at more proficient players, handing out additional perks to their soldier which last until death. Deathstreaks, which give struggling players an extra boost, return after their absence from Call of Duty Black Ops. Infinity Ward have also confirmed they will be cutting certain overpowered streak rewards, such as nuke and One Man Army. Other tweaks, such as no longer being able to carry a shotgun as a secondary weapon have been implemented to help balance the game. One consistent complaint over Call of Duty's multiplayer is how it over-favours already proficient players and focusses too much on deathmatch, rather than objectives. These adjustments should, in theory, address those concerns.

Weapon progression has also been tweaked, with guns levelling up as you progress, while a new list of additional Perks has been announced, which can be assigned to give your soldier particular skills. The new perks include Recon, with explosive damage displaying on the mini map; Blind Eye, which makes you undetectable by air support and sentries; Assassin makes you undetectable by UAV, portable radar and heartbeat monitors; Quickdraw allows you to aim down the sight of your gun quicker; Stalker allows you to move faster while aiming. And Marksman allows you to identify targets at longer range.

There are a handful of new game modes too. Kill Confirmed, which has you collecting dogtags from fallen enemies to score points; Team Defender has one team member carrying a flag to earn points while his squadmates protect him. In addition to these public match options, more modes will be available in private match setups. One in the Chamber and Gun Game make the leap from Black Ops, while all new modes include Infection, which has players killing enemies in order to recruit them to their team; Drop Zone has players controlling specified areas to receive extra support, while Juggernaut has an AI super-charged character accompanying each team.

Private matches will also allow you to create your own game mode, with the best shared among the community. Social integration is a focus for Modern Warfare 3, with Facebook integration and phone apps allowing you to easier arrange matches with players that share your interests. This is in addition to Call of Duty Elite, Activision's social website for the series. Details for Elite were also announced at CoD XP, with a yearly subscription fee giving you access to the premium features on the website, as well as access to any DLC released for Call of Duty during your subscription.